About Us
We are a truly independent Undertaker based in Birmingham – a business started by Carrie Weekes and Frances Glover – two friends, each with different reasons for becoming undertakers, but united by a single thought that “this can be done differently”.
Having attended and arranged a number of funerals we both felt that to a certain extent funerals had lost the human touch. The traditional black sombre funerals, the keeping of the body at arms length, the uniforms and procedure that so often accompany a funeral ceremony, have overpowered our need to grieve in ways that are right for us.
We’re all different. We all need different things.
For generations now we’ve grown up being able to choose how to live, how to express who we are to the world.Surely the same should be true in death?
Our aim at A Natural Undertaking
To help people through a stage in life, which, while crushingly sad, is after all a normal and natural part of life.
We want to help people remember their friends and relatives without expectation or guilt.
To use those moments between death and final memorial to say their farewells in ways they themselves can be proud of.
How we help
There are too many myths surrounding funerals, all of which create barriers to our being able to grieve well. Knowing there are choices, knowing what those choices are and acting upon them is an important way to feel more in control of a situation that has been thrust upon us.
Providing access to clear and transparent information, and enabling choice forms a huge part of our service.
No expectations
A truly good funeral is achievable whatever your budget: there should be no expectation about size and scale. There are many things that have become part and parcel of a funeral that really aren’t needed. We’ll help you understand what you need versus what you might want, and together we’ll help you and your friends create a farewell that feels relevant to the person who has died.
One that you can really feel proud of.
Why we’re “A Natural Undertaking”
- Undertaking (although little used these days) covers the entire time from death to memorial. We don’t just focus on ‘the funeral’.
- Death is a normal and natural part of life – painful as it is. We help people to live through a natural event as smoothly as possible and with as much kindness and humanity as we can give
- The term “funeral” pre-supposes that that’s what people want – we don’t want to pre-suppose anything so we prefer not to place too much emphasis on the word “funeral”
- We will offer ethical and ecological choices as the norm because that’s just natural – but our focus is to ensure you have that choice, not to encourage you down any particular path
We have a simple, pared-back business model allowing us to be completely responsive. Helping you do what comes naturally for you.